NYPD Cold Case Anthology - Print Edition Problem

I just wanted to address an issue that has been brought to my attention, regarding my latest book: NYPD Cold Case Anthology.

When you visit the Amazon webpage, you will see that this book is being offered for $21.10. Please know that this is NOT my list price. This book was supposed to be sold for $10.99, however, upon publication, the price rocketed to nearly twenty-three dollars. I contacted Amazon, but so far there has been no viable explanation for the discrepancy between my list price and what they listed it for.

It surrounds counterintuitive, but I am asking you not to buy this book until the issue has been resolved. I have always tried to keep my books at the lowest price possible and I am working diligently to address this issue.

Thank you for your patience.

NYPD Cold Case Anthology - Print Edition Available

For those of you who asked if the NYPD Cold Case novellas would be available in print, your wait is over.

The Cold Case Anthology features all three of the Detective Angelo Antonucci novellas and is available now through AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736614606

These are three standalone stories, but they do fit within the time frame of both the James Maguire and Alex Taylor storylines. If you’d like to see the chronological progression of the books, please click HERE.

The Life of an Indie Author - Tales from the Writing Trenches

Back in 2013, when I completed my first novel: PERFECT PAWN, I remember sitting there smiling or a moment and then the realization hit me: Now What? It seems funny to me now, as I look back on those dark times, but for me that was the moment when the creative rubber truly hit the literary road.

As I sit here formatting the print version for my soon to be released COLD CASE anthology, I realize a lot of you might be in the same ballpark I was in 2013. Despair not, you've got this. 

When your book is complete (it really isn't) you're left with two choices: Pursue a traditional publishing course or opt for the indie road. If you choose indie, you have a helluva road in front of you, because you will have to embrace the roles normally filled by the staff at publishing houses. So what does this mean? Well, here is what you can expect to do: 

1. Write Book

2. Edit Book (Then edit it again, and edit it again after you get reader feedback)

3. Format Interior Book (At least 2 versions: Print & eBook)

4. Design Cover Graphic (Both full-size and thumbnail)

5. Secure ISBN numbers

6. Submit to Publishing Platforms

7. Design Social Media Engagement

8. Advertising

Still want to be an author? Good. 

These might seem like monumental hurdles to overcome, but I assure you they are not. Having just released my fifteenth book I can tell you that you can learn these skills. Are they easy? No. You might master one area and feel like you are slogging through quicksand for the others. But each book will become easier if you commit yourself to listening and learning. I think every indie author owes it to their craft to help others. I’m a firm believer in the old adage: A rising tide raises all boats.

Of the eight things I listed above (you might have more), the most important are 1-4 and 8. To me the first four are crucial, because if you do not have a solid book, nothing else matters. Obviously your writing is paramount, but without an attractive cover most books will get passed over. Too many authors take a pass on this, opting to use templates and are left wondering why their books get no traction. You only get one chance to pull a reader in and the cover does it. If your book uses a stock template cover, readers may be less inclined to take a risk.

Once you’ve overcome that hurdle, and you have piqued the curiosity of the potential reader, you have another one to consider. When a reader looks inside the book, they expect yours to look EXACTLY like every other book they read, meaning it should be formatted like existing books. Open a book from a well-published author and copy that interior. You might think that edgy font looks cool, but have you ever considered that some readers have reading issues. Clear fonts should be the standard. It’s a book and should not be as difficult to read as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.  

The other important thing is advertising, and I cannot stress this enough. It sounds counterintuitive, but if you want to make money, you have to spend money. I know that is hard for someone on a limited budget, but it is the truth. Don’t believe me? Here is a graph for my debut novel. I think you can figure out exactly when I started aggressively advertising. This is also the part where I humbly admit my wife was right when she advised me to advertise sooner.

Now, should you do this right away? I don’t know. Personally, I would save this one until you have 2 or even 3 books under your belt, because advertising will correlate to sales over your entire span of works. Readers are much more eager to try a new author if they have several books they can read after the first one hooks them. 

I hope this helps you to understand where to go next. These are the areas that I have identified, but you might have others. The important thing is to keep writing and embrace your craft.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

NYPD Cold Case #15-003 'The Crazy 8 Cowboys' - RELEASED

Just wanted to let everyone know that latest Detective Angelo Antonucci Cold Case:#15-003 ‘The Crazy 8 Cowboys’ was just released and is available on the Amazon Kindle e-book platform.

I’ll be working on the formatting for the print version next. Stay tuned.

NYPD Cold Case #15-003 'The Crazy 8 Cowboys' - Cover Reveal

Well, the release date is almost here and I thought I would share the cover for the latest Detective Angelo Antonucci NYPD Cold Case novella. The e-book will be released on the Amazon Kindle platform.

As previously mentioned, with the addition of this book in the Cold Case lineup, I will be creating a print version for of you who enjoy having a book in your hand. It will include all three of the current Cold Case stories.

The Crazy 8 Cowboys revolves around the disappearance of an confidential informant that went missing during a narcotics investigation focused on the Eight-Eight Precinct in Brooklyn North. When a decade old body is discovered, Antonucci is tasked with finding out who was responsible for the disappearance; a list which includes the informant’s ex-wife, members of the command, and the Internal Affairs Bureau, who were heading the investigation.

I hope you will enjoy it.